I express myself through painting. Creating subjects using Photoshop, I utilize different images to make an original composition, often surreal, such as a daisy with a barbed wire stem in the middle of a lake. My paintings reflect my thoughts about themes such as identity, love, and sin. When painting, I immerse myself in the work; I focus on painting details until I replicate the original perfectly. Although I have only painted for three years, with effort I have made tremendous progress, gaining control of mixing colors, types of paint, and brushes. Through participation in a mentoring program with professional women artists, I have had the privilege to explore many different kinds of art genres and exhibit my work in galleries. Over the last four years my artistic voice has matured. I hope to continue taking studio art classes in college while I study nursing.